


Misstep

by Evergreena



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Blood Loss, Gen, Hurt Edward Elric, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Parental Roy Mustang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:26:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25439164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evergreena/pseuds/Evergreena
Summary: During a routine training exercise, Edward Elric takes a tumble off a cliff with near-disastrous consequences.
Relationships: Alphonse Elric & Edward Elric, Edward Elric & Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye & Roy Mustang
Comments: 12
Kudos: 355





	Misstep

**Author's Note:**

> TW for some blood.

The falling part wasn’t so bad. He’d fallen before. Many times, in fact, from even greater distances.

Ed considered, even as he heard the Colonel bellow out his name after he toppled over the edge of the cliff, that if it weren’t for the inherently deadly situation, he might even come to enjoy the feeling of falling. If only a soft snowbank waited below. Or if only his head wasn’t spinning with fog, he might have been able to use his alchemy somehow to get out of this without injury.

No such luck. Had he hit his head somehow? It was all a blur now.

_“Fullmetal!”_

The Colonel’s voice was the last thing he heard before his body collided with the rocks at the bottom of the ravine. He bounced brutally once over the sharp stone formations, and then he must have hit his head again because everything went dark and hazy while the world spun dizzyingly around him.

Slowly, he came back to himself.

“Brother, please, I can’t— The Colonel is on his way, please hang on until then—"

 _Al?_ His brother sounded like he was choking back a dry sob. What had happened? He couldn’t muster up the strength to move or even open his eyes. He frowned.

“Brother? Can you hear me?”

Why did he feel a heavy weight on his neck and shoulder? He was too tired to think about it, actually. Everywhere hurt. He started to drift off.

“The Colonel had to go around. He’ll be here any second. Please don’t go to sleep.” The weight on him shifted.

 _Pain._ The movement triggered a strange and terrible pain in his neck, but he was so out of it that he could barely process it.

“Gerroff,” he managed to mumble. “Hurts.”

Alphonse didn’t move. “Brother? It’s all right. I can’t move, because you’re bleeding too much…” He trailed off.

Ed cracked one eye open. He was greeted by the welcome sight of Alphonse’s armored face. “Wha’ happened?”

“The cliff gave way under you when you used your alchemy,” Al explained slowly. “You hit your head and fell before Mustang could pull you back. You crashed on those sharp pieces of slate over there. It cut you up pretty badly.”

“‘Zat why you’re on me?”

“Shh, stop talking. You’ll make it worse.”

Ed’s blurry gaze slid from his brother’s face to his arm, clamped firmly on the side of his neck and shoulder.

Blood. Lots of it.

He started to shiver. “Artery?”

Alphonse didn’t answer right away. Then he seemed to notice Ed’s shaking and snapped out of his quiet fears. “Brother, stay with me! Please don’t go into shock… You’ve already lost so much blood. Stay calm!”

Ed closed his eyes. He could feel it now. The life spurting out of him. He was so cold…

“Fullmetal!”

The sharp tone shook him fully awake again. He blinked for a few times before he could focus on the newcomer’s face. A familiar face.

“…Mustang?”

There was a quick exchange of words between his brother and commanding officer. He couldn’t follow the conversation. He let his eyes drift closed again.

Someone shook his other shoulder. The metal one. “Fullmetal, you’re going into shock. Stay awake.”

When that failed to rouse him, the voice tried another approach.

“I know you can hear me, Fullmetal. You may be tiny, but you still have ears, don’t you?”

His eyes snapped open again. “Who’re you calling so puny he could fit in an infant’s shoebox?”

Mustang leaned close, so that Ed could see the strange look on his face. He almost looked worried. “Stay awake,” he ordered. “I’m going to try to cauterize the wound so you don’t bleed out.” He held up one gloved hand, poised to snap. “Alphonse, on my signal.”

Ed blanched. “You don’t have to do that!”

Al shook his head, and rubbed his thumb over Ed’s collarbone in what was probably meant to be a comforting gesture. “No, actually he does. There’s so much blood…”

Mustang nodded to his brother. “Go.”

Al lifted his hands, Mustang snapped, and Ed screamed.

* * *

Colonel Mustang tried to hide the shaking in his hands by adjusting his gloves as the medics carted off an unconscious Edward on a stretcher to the waiting ambulance around the other side of the hill. Alphonse clomped along behind them, hunched over and looking tense.

He tried not to look at the pool of coagulating blood near his boots. He’d seen plenty of blood and gore before. So why did this bother him so much?

“Sir,” came Hawkeye’s quiet reassurance. “Ed will be fine, thanks to you and Alphonse.”

He took a deep breath. “Thank you, Lieutenant.” He tucked his hands into his pockets to hide the trembling that would not stop.

But of course she noticed. She always did. “It’s not your fault, sir. Nobody could have known the hill was unstable.”

“It was supposed to be a routine training exercise. Not this!” He gestured at the blood seeping into the ground.

She didn’t flinch. “Of course. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s nobody’s fault.”

“I shouldn’t have brought him into this!”

She just gave him a _look_.

He huffed and turned back to look after the retreating procession of medics and Alphonse. “Don’t tell either of them, but this was too damn close. If Alphonse hadn’t gotten there when he did, or if I was only a moment later, he might not have ever yelled at me for calling him short again.”

Hawkeye gave his shoulder a rare pat. Then she moved on to follow the others. When he didn’t immediately follow, she stopped again and waited. “Sir?”

He sighed. “All right, let’s go see that he makes it to the hospital.” He trudged after her, and did not look back at the blood again.

But it still seared into his eyes—a mark of what could have been.

* * *

When Ed woke up, at first he didn’t know where he was and why it was so dark. His heart pounded frantically until the smells and sounds revealed he was in a hospital. His panic drained into a sullen acceptance. After all, he _was_ injured. He raised a tentative hand to touch the mass of bandages on his neck and shoulder. It seemed the Colonel’s quick actions had worked. The burns still hurt like hell.

His eyes adjusted gradually to the nighttime darkness. He glanced blearily around the small room, searching for Alphonse. Instead, he saw a dark form slumped in the only chair, a figure who was definitely not his brother.

Mustang? What was he doing here? Where was Al? It looked like the Colonel was asleep, which made even _less_ sense. That couldn’t be comfortable… not that he cared. But why was he _here?_

He tried to push himself up to sit against the pillows. The motion pulled at the wound in his neck, and he couldn’t stop the hiss of pain from escaping through his teeth.

Mustang stirred at the sound. He lifted his head and saw Ed trying to reposition himself. He immediately stood. “Fullmetal!” he said in a hushed reprimand. “Stop, you’ll pull open your wounds again!”

Ed huffed. “Don’t tell me what to do!” When the man just hovered silently, he rolled his eyes. “If you’re just going to stand there, help me up. Where’s Al?”

Mustang took two long strides and was at the bedside. He pushed down on Ed’s good shoulder. “Stay down, that’s an order. Alphonse will be back soon, he just went to get some water for you. You weren’t supposed to wake up so soon, though.”

An awkward silence fell between them. Ed wanted to sit up more, but that infuriating hand on his shoulder kept him from going anywhere in his weakened state. He scowled. “All right, fine, you don’t need to babysit me. Bastard.”

Mustang smirked a little. “Someone has to…” His voice trailed off before he could make any of his typical rage-inducing short jokes. He cleared his throat. “Ed, I… We need to talk.”

Oh hell no. Was the bastard actually going to get serious on him? Was he going to chew him out for being stupid? Now? That was the last thing his pounding head needed right now. “Colonel, don’t start.“

The hand on his shoulder tightened its grip. “No, you listen to me. You may be reckless and stupid and childish—"

“Hey, wait just a damn minute—"

“—But I believe I owe you an apology.”

Ed’s jaw dropped, cutting off his protests mid-sentence. An apology? From the indomitable _Colonel Mustang_ of all people?

Mustang stepped back, tucked his hand into his uniform pocket, then pulled it out again in a nervous gesture. “I nearly got you killed today,” he said at last. “As my subordinate, you are my responsibility. I should have been aware that cliff couldn’t take any alchemic manipulation, it was too unstable. A good commanding officer would have been more careful about the location of the training exercise, especially knowing you would use your alchemy. That was a grievous misstep on my part.”

“Yeah, well, whatever.” Ed couldn’t meet his eyes. “Idiot.”

The door to the small room burst open. Al trundled in, carrying a pitcher of water. He stopped short when he saw that Ed was up. “Brother! You’re awake!” He sounded more upset than he should be.

Mustang stepped back to allow Al to rush forward and give the two space for their reunion.

“Sheesh, Al, I’m fine! Don’t give me that look.”

Al poured a glass of water and practically shoved it at him. “Be quiet, I have a right to be a little angry, don’t I?”

“He does,” Mustang piped up helpfully. “You gave us quite the scare.”

Ed didn’t miss the “us” in that sentence, and he flushed a little in embarrassment. “I’m fine now, aren’t I?”

“You are _not_ fine!” Al knelt next to the bed. “If I hadn’t gotten there when I did… If the Colonel didn’t cauterize the wound—"

“Stop it, Al! There’s no use thinking about hypotheticals.” Ed could feel the Colonel’s eyes on him, the sentiment directed at him as well. “I’m here, you’re here, that’s it. Sorry for scaring you.”

Mustang chuckled shortly. “You have nothing to apologize for, Fullmetal. That is, _this time._ Now get some rest.” He headed for the door, then stopped and looked back at the two boys. “Alphonse, take care of your brother, will you?”

“Yes sir. I always do.”

“Hey!"

The Colonel nodded to Al. “I suppose you do,” he said. Then he snapped his attention back to Ed. “And _you…_ ”

Ed’s scowl deepened. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll give you my full report on the training exercise debacle tomorrow morning. No need to get dramatic or anything.”

But the bastard just gave him a strange look, one that looked far too soft for his usual stoic demeanor. “Stay in bed. No report until I say so. And for what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re still with us, Fullmetal.”

Ed found his fingers subconsciously rubbing the bandages at his neck. “Shut up,” he said, but it didn’t carry any heat this time. He grimaced, fighting with himself for what he had to say next. “I suppose I should thank you. For saving me. So thanks.”

A real smile quirked at Mustang’s mouth. “You’re welcome… pipsqueak.” Then the bastard actually turned and fled the room, his head tilted back in a self-satisfied laugh.

Ed’s shouts of blind rage followed him all the way down the hall.

**Author's Note:**

> My first FMA drabble! I doubt it will be my last.


End file.
